I Loved Her First
by Katara94
Summary: A father reflects during three important milestones; finding out there daughter is in love, when they get married, and when they have a child of their own. So how will Hakoda react when he sees Katara and Zuko together? (So yes this is another Zutara and I rated it T just to be on the safe side; nothing bad happens, I just want to play it safe).


**_I Loved Her First_**

_Disclaimer: __I do not own Avatar The Last Air bender and I do not own the song I Loved Her First by the group Heartland. Each of them belongs to their respective owners. _

* * *

_-Hakoda (Katara and Sokka's father)-_

The sound of laughter was what first woke me up. I looked around to see that everyone was still fast asleep in the circle we had created around the remaining embers of the dying fire.

After my son, Sokka, and the former prince of the Fire Nation rescued me from the Boiling Rock and I was reunited with my daughter, Katara, and their friends we spent the remaining time talking and reflecting on past adventures. Most of the time though I just found myself smiling and listening to the stories Sokka would mainly start up and tended to flail his arms around animatedly. Thinking of this, I looked over to see my son snoring with his arm wrapped protectively around the waist of the girl who had captured his heart. Unless I am mistaken he said her name is Suki. I smiled again; happy that Sokka had found love.

As my eyes wandered around the circle, my heart started to quicken in pace. Katara's bedroll was laid out, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then, lucky for me, I heard the laughter that had woke me up earlier.

I was able to identify two distinct laughs. One of them was Katara's – soft and always tended to sound more like giggles; even when she was a child. The other was a deeper sound, but still had a gentle timber that could be distinctly heard; a young man's laughter.

Doing a head count I realized who else was missing. The prince – prince, umm, Zuko? Yes that's his name. Vaguely I remembered seeing the two of them walk away earlier. When I had asked Katara where they were going she just said, _"'We'll be back soon. I just need to talk to Zuko for a few minutes'"_ and left it at that. Apparently, unbeknownst to anyone, those few minutes had turned into a few hours. Looking around I saw the flicker of a fire a few feet away. Standing up I crept as quietly as I could to see what those two were still doing up.

I found the two of them sitting next to each other with their backs to me; clearly oblivious to the rest of the world. Zuko had begun laughing again.

"Wang Fire?" he asked in disbelief. "That was the best your brother could come up with for a Fire Nation name?"

Katara tried to muster her laughter just so she could speak. "Well he had to think of something. I told you, Aang needed to have fake parents for the emergency at the Fire Nation school he was attending at the time and it only made sense for Sokka and me to play that role – being the oldest out of the group."

"I know. It just goes to show how unpredictable Sokka can be." They shared another laugh and I had to silently agree with their statement; after all Sokka really does take after me in many ways. "So what was your fake name?"

"Sapphire Fire." I could have sworn Katara was blushing.

"Sapphire. Nice. It does suit you in a way." There was silence as Zuko rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. He quickly changed the subject. "So do the Water Tribes have any customs that could be similar to the other nations?"

Katara turned her head more to face him and she raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Like what exactly? And why the interest?"

"Well we are trying to stop this war and once I am Fire Lord I think it would be important for me to respect all the nations and their customs." The young man did have a point and I could tell Katara realized this too.

"Ok, well um, there's the coming of age ceremony that involves ice – dodging for the men, carving a necklace in order to propose, and of course performances usually done by the water benders."

"What about dancing?" Zuko asked suddenly.

"I…I don't know. Honestly I don't think either of the tribes have been big into dancing; of course being in the middle of a war wouldn't help. Plus if they did it wouldn't matter in my case."

"Why not?"

Katara blushed a deeper shade of red. "I can't dance" she admitted.

I would have told her that was ridiculous but Zuko beat me to it. "What are you talking about? Aang told me how you two danced together for the party you threw for the Fire Nation students." I noticed he practically growled the last part of his statement. _Hmm, he doesn't hide his jealousy that well_. I couldn't help but smirk. Reminded me of how I first acted around Kya at his age. I sighed.

My beloved Kya. Why did she have to be taken away from me? We had so many plans for the future…and then that man took them all away when he took her life. A tear trickled down my cheek. I wiped it away as Katara spoke up again.

"That wasn't really dancing. They were just water bending moves." She gave a small, embarrassed smile. "I really can't dance."

Zuko seemed to ponder this very briefly before he stood up to face Katara. I got a good look at the scar that seemed to stretch along the left side of his face; his hair covering where it reached his ear. No one told me how he got it, but I have a feeling that no one – not even Katara – in the group knows the truth. Hopefully no one has tried to force it out of him. After my analysis, I noticed he was holding out his hand to my daughter.

"What?" Katara asked warily.

"Take my hand. I'll teach you how to dance" he spoke softly; not his normal, somewhat raspy voice.

Katara began shaking her head profusely. "No Zuko! No!" she whispered. He wasn't taking no for an answer. He just took her hand and pulled her to her feet after he had rolled his eyes at her 'no's.' "Seriously Zuko!" she lowered her gaze, not willing to meet his eyes. "I can't" she mumbled.

Zuko frowned at first, but then he replaced it with a gentle smile. He lowered himself slightly so that he was at her height. "Katara look at me." After a minute she did. "Do you trust me?" She nodded her head yes. "Alright, that's all I need to hear." With that he pulled my daughter close to him and placed her other hand on his shoulder. Then he rested his hand lightly on her waist as if he was afraid she might break under his touch. With Zuko taking a step back, their dance began.

It was nothing hard. They just moved around slowly in a circle. Katara seemed to relax and was able to keep up easily. I was glad my daughter was having fun. But that didn't stop me from noticing how Zuko's eyes never left my daughter's face. When Katara realized this she blushed a soft shade of pink. Just like her mother.

"I'm sorry Zuko" Katara's voice broke the silence. Zuko seemed to grimace slightly.

"Katara, you do realize that's the hundredth time you've apologized to me just today right? I told you I'm not mad so stop saying 'sorry.'"

_Sorry about what?_ "But Zuko I am sorry. I was a complete jerk to you when you arrived. I was still so mad about what happened in Ba Sing Se after you sided with your sister that I wasn't willing to give you a second chance. But then you really proved yourself to me with everything you have done; like teaching Aang fire bending and saving my Dad. I'm just really grateful and glad that you forgave me…although I still don't understand why."

The whole time Katara spoke they had continued their slow dance. I was still a little confused by what she meant, but I remained in my little hiding place to continue watching them. This is my daughter after all and as her father I have a right to know what goes on in her life as well as Sokka's; especially considering I had to leave them behind in the South Pole when my men and I were called to help aid others in the Earth Kingdom affected by the war.

Zuko looked directly into Katara's eyes as he spoke. "Katara you had every right to not want to trust me after everything that has happened this past year. I won't lie – I've made many mistakes in my life. So many that I've lost count. But when I turned my back on you in Ba Sing Se…I can honestly say that is the worst mistake I have ever made. One I wish I could take back just so I wouldn't have to see you so hurt like that ever again. But I can't. I knew that before I asked to join you guys. I knew you hated me so I was going to make it my personal goal to earn your forgiveness. And I'm glad I finally did after you gave me a chance to explain myself. So you don't need to say you're sorry. You forgave me for being the idiot I was before. And now I can finally say thank you; but not only for forgiving me."

"For what else?"

"For finally getting through my thick skull to realize my mistakes." He smiled at this.

Katara giggled before she replied, "Well then you're very welcome" and smiled in return.

_Look at the two of you dancing that way  
Lost in the moment and each other's face_

Silence carried on between them for a few short minutes before Zuko broke it again. "I thought you said you can't dance" he said. When Katara pouted he just gave her a smug smirk in return. But then that smirk softened as he continued to stare into my daughter's eyes. The look he had in his eyes was very familiar to me. It was the same why I would look at my Kya ever since I had first realized –

_That I was in love._

Suddenly all the pieces clicked together. This young man is in love with my daughter.

_So much in love you're alone in this place  
Like there's nobody else in the world_

And as if that wasn't enough proof, I watched as Zuko slowly – almost hesitantly – lowered his head just enough to place a small, quick kiss on Katara's lips. He pulled back enough to see her reaction as I also was curious as to what she would do. I may have been away from my children due to the war, but I don't recall any conversations with Katara about having feelings for a boy or Sokka trying to warn me of something like this happening. Regardless, I stood there waiting as Zuko did the same; looking slightly nervous.

At first Katara could only blink her eyes slowly after letting out an inaudible gasp. But then her eyes seemed to soften as she stood on her toes and kissed him back. This kiss lasted a few seconds longer than the first. When Katara pulled back she smiled before resting her head on his shoulder.

"As far as dancing is concerned I still couldn't when I was little so my Dad would pick me up and dance with me that way. That's probably the only time I would consider that I have danced until now."

_I was enough for her not long ago  
I was her number one  
She told me so_

I knew exactly which day she was talking about. That is one of the happier memories that I hold with me.

_It was only a few months before the raid that took my wife from me. Sokka was only 8 at the time while Katara was only 6. Kya and I had tucked them in for the night…or so we thought. Once they were 'asleep' I pulled Kya aside and holding her close we danced together, content with the silence until we heard a familiar little giggle that could only be our daughter._

_Sure enough, when we turned around there was Katara with Sokka poking their heads out from behind the fur pelt separating their bedroom from the main room. "'And what are you two doing up? Kya had asked; more amused than anything that they were still up._

"'_We want to dance too'" Katara replied with a smile._

"'_Well I don't see why not. If you both promise to go to sleep afterwards?'" Kya compromised._

"'_We promise!'" they shouted in unison._

"'_Mom,'" Katara began, "'I want to dance with Dad. Sokka steps on my feet.'"_

"'_Do not!'" Sokka cried out._

"'_Yes you do! Please Mom? Can I dance with Dad?'"_

_Staring at her wide blue eyes that were so much like her mother's and her question just made my heart melt. I grinned and Kya knew what I was thinking. "'Then come here!'" and I scooped Katara into my arms while she let out a squeal of surprise. Kya did the same for Sokka who just burst into laughter._

_Keeping our children in our arms we continued dancing; knowing they would tire out eventually._

_Near the end of our dance Katara's head dropped to my shoulder. "'I love you Dad'" she sighed as she drifted to sleep._

_My heart swelled with joy. "'I love you too, my little girl.'"_

I was brought back to the present as I noticed Zuko rest his head on top of Katara's while she had at some point closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

_And she still means the world to me  
Just so you know  
So be careful when you hold my girl_

My daughter has truly grown up now; falling in love. I knew this day would come, but did it have to come so soon? I surprised myself that I wasn't mad about the situation. I mean, if someone was to tell me that in the future my daughter would fall in love with a fire bender I would have laughed. After everything the Fire Nation did I would not have been too thrilled with the idea of Katara dating a boy from the Fire Nation; even if he wasn't a fire bender. But something Zuko mentioned about change struck me. And I knew he was different from others in his country. Even before tonight this young man had already started to leave a good impression and change my view that not everyone in the Fire Nation are ruthless and cruel. So I will accept their relationship…unless he does something to my daughter to hurt her. If that day ever comes he better run for the hills. Hopefully that day will never come so for now I will just accept it with a smile on my face. Plus if I were ever to try and control Katara's life in this area she would never forgive me.

She really is so much like her mother.

_Time changes everything  
Life must go on  
And I'm not gonna stand in your way_

I had to wipe away another tear – the realization and memories hitting me again – and when I looked up Zuko was staring right at me. I hadn't even realized I had left my hiding spot.

It was apparent Zuko was waiting for me to react in some way; probably expecting me to yell. Instead I just gave a slight smile and nodded my head yes. Giving him permission to date my daughter. He was a bit surprised – that was clear – but he seemed to understand the message in my eyes, saying to take care of her, because he nodded his head back in acknowledgement and thanks.

_But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But it still hard to give her away  
I loved her first_

With that I turned around and went back to the sleeping group to get some much needed sleep. But not without noticing Zuko had closed his eyes and smiled while I was rounding the corner.

* * *

_How could that beautiful women with you__  
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew_

I don't know how it happened but now – after two years which have only felt like a couple of days – I am watching Katara marry Zuko…Fire Lord Zuko.

I vaguely remember him asking for her hand and the planning that took place. But it didn't fully sink in until I was walking my daughter down the aisle with the Sun only just beginning to set behind us.

Katara looked so much like Kya at this moment. Her wedding dress was a beautiful shade of purple with silver trimming. Her hair fell loose in curls down her back and her eyes just showed so much love; especially when her gaze met her future husband's gold eyes and a gentle smile spread along his face.

_The one that I read all those fairy tales to  
And tucked into bed all those nights_

My mind just couldn't seem to add up that this beautiful young woman was actually Katara. Scenes from her childhood kept flashing in my head. Mostly of her smile when I would return home from hunting and I would tell her stories before bed time.

I knew she would be happy with Zuko. It was obvious to just about everyone once they had finally admitted their feelings after the war had ended. Of course it was obvious for me since that first night I saw them together. But that didn't change how I couldn't understand how this day had come so fast.

_And I knew the first time I saw you with her  
It was only a matter of time_

Just like I couldn't stop the silent tears from streaming down my face as Katara and Zuko shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

_But I loved her first and I held her first  
And a place in my heart will always be hers  
From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep  
And I prayed that she'd find you someday  
But its still hard to give her away  
I loved her first_

By the time the kiss ended just about everyone were crying silent tears of joy. Sokka was trying to put on a brave face, but I knew he was about to give in. Once the newlywed couple walked away to head to the reception area he turned his head into Suki's shoulder and cried more loudly than the others. Avatar Aang had already wiped away the last of his tears as he smiled gently and took his earth bending teacher – Toph's – hand. The blind earth bender blushed a little in return when she thought no one was paying attention.

Once we all arrived in the reception area I immediately found the happy couple talking with General Iroh. Zuko's Uncle. "Excuse me, but may I borrow them for a minute?"

"Of course" Iroh said and left to talk with more of the guests. He understood as soon as he saw me and I respected that he was giving me the chance to speak with them.

Both Katara and Zuko were waiting for me to speak. "I couldn't be happier for the two of you. And I can honestly say I'm probably the proudest I'll ever be. Katara," I switched my attention to her, "I know I've said it before but I'll say it again. You look so much like your mother. And I know she feels the same way I do now." I had to pause to catch my breath. "It's hard to believe my little water bender is a married woman now. Just remember that I love you. And try to visit every once in a while."

Katara threw her arms around me. "I promise. I love you too Dad."

_From the first breath she breathed  
When she first smiled at me  
I knew the love of a father runs deep_

Giving her a kiss on the forehead I returned my attention back to Zuko. He held out his arm for me like we do in the Water Tribes when we greet someone, but I surprised him when I pulled him in for a hug as well. "Promise to love my daughter and keep her safe. That's all I'm asking."

"I promise Hakoda" he replied in a firm voice telling me that he was serious. Well, at least he has stopped calling me Sir. Though honestly, I don't think I would mind if he were ever to call me Dad.

After the war, everyone in the Gaang – as Sokka calls them – learned of Zuko's past and what his fath – Fire Lord Ozai did to him. How could anyone be so cruel to their own child? I can never understand why. But for now I will only focus on today and their happiness.

Releasing Zuko from the hug I let them leave to visit with more of their guests. Now I just have to try to not let anymore tears fall despite the joy I feel.

* * *

_Someday you might know what I'm going through_

A year goes by so quickly and I'm back in the Fire Nation waiting with Zuko and the rest of the Gaang as Katara is having a child of her own. At one point – in – between his pacing – Zuko had confided in me that he was still nervous about becoming a father. Inwardly I chuckled. _'Welcome to my world.'_ I was able to reassure him that he would be a good father and that it was ok to be nervous when we all heard a newborn's cry.

Once we were allowed to go in we saw a tired Katara holding her child in the blue baby blanket I had brought from when she was born. "You have a daughter Zuko" she breathed once she spotted her husband. Zuko only smiled in return.

Everyone 'oohed' and 'awed' over the little girl that reminded me so much of Katara; except for the pale skin like Zuko's. Finally I ushered them all out so Katara could rest and Zuko could actually have some time to himself with their daughter.

"Thanks…Dad" Zuko whispered and I knew he also meant for what I had said earlier.

I could only smile knowing that in a short year I had gained a son and a granddaughter. Squeezing his shoulder I said, "You're welcome son." Zuko's eyes widened as I turned to leave, but stopped at the door after hearing him gasp.

_When a miracle smiles up at you_

From here I could see their baby girl's – whom they had named Sapphire, reminding me of their first conversation together – eyes opened for a second time revealing the blue like her mother's eyes. And she was smiling right at Zuko.

Zuko only smiled wider – not even realizing I was still here – and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Then he readjusted himself so he was completely on the bed next to a dozing Katara and speaks softly to his daughter.

_I loved her first_

And I knew it had hit him like when Katara was born. He loved his little girl just as much as I loved Katara and I always will. Just like me, all it took was that one smile and Zuko could have been described as the happiest man alive.

'_Enjoy every moment Zuko. The time will go by sooner than you think.' _Then with one last look at Katara, the only girl besides her mother who had captured my heart, I left the new family to themselves and walked down the hall with a smile on my face.

* * *

**Well this was my first attempt at a one - shot story. I hoped you liked it. And, ok, I know some of you may have been expecting Toph and Sokka to be together like they had been in my previous stories, but one thing you will come to realize about me is that I do not always use the same pairing to write about; I like to switch it up every now and then so please don't be mad at me because of that one detail. Also, just so you are aware, I do not know when exactly I will be posting a new story. I'm currently trying to finish one and it is giving me a hard time so you may have to wait a little while for a new story, sorry. But please review my story, I could use the feedback. Until next time.**


End file.
